You will always get paid for working as a doctor in the UK. All jobs are paid jobs, including non-training jobs. You will never have to work for free.
This post concerns pay scales for junior doctors working in the UK at entry level posts. This includes junior doctors working at CT1/CT2/ST1/ST2 level.
Pay Scale
Regardless of the job being training or non-training, junior doctors earn somewhere between £30,000 to £40,000 annually. This equals to £2,500 to £3,500 per month. You can check the minimum training wages here.
Amount of Tax Deduction
Depending on their grade, 17% to 27% tax is deducted from a junior doctor’s salary. You can read about it in detail here.
Take-Home Pay
After tax deduction the salary is around:
- £1,900 to £2,000 per month without nights/banding
- £2,700 to £3,000 per month with nights/banding.
(Night shift is a 12-hour shift in the U.K. You can read about working hours and banding in the UK by clicking the highlighted links)
Conclusion
Finances will not be an issue for you in the U.K. Doctors in the UK earn enough to meet all their needs and live a very comfortable life.
Useful Links
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much pay is enough in the UK? It depends on your lifestyle, location, number of dependents and a few other factors. But the following might give you a general idea: £1,900/month can be more than enough for a single person and just enough for a couple. £2,700/month can be more than enough for a couple. 2. Would I be able to save money in the UK? Again, it depends on the factors mentioned above. So savings can be different for every individual. I have seen people save £1,000/month for a whole year and I have seen people not save anything even after a couple of years. So it depends on each individual and how they live. 3. How much tax would I have to pay in the UK? The monthly salaries mentioned in this article are exclusive of tax. These are the take-home salaries, after tax deduction. However, to learn more about pay scales and taxation in the UK, you can click here. 4. How much tax would I have to pay on annual earning of £30,000? There will be two components of tax deductions from your salary. A. Income tax. The initial £11,000 would be free of tax. 20% income tax would be deducted from your pay between £11,851 and £30,000. Total annual income tax deduction: £3,629 The initial £8,160 would be free of tax. 12% national insurance would be deducted from your pay between £8,160 and £30,000. Total annual national insurance deduction: £2,589 £3,629 + £2,589 = £6,218 £6,420 = 20.7% of £30,000 Therefore, the total annual tax deduction on annual earning of £30,000 will be £6,218. This equal to 20.7% of the total earning. 5. How much tax would I have to pay on annual earning of £48,000? There will be two components of tax deductions from your salary. A. Income tax. The initial £11,850 would be free of tax. 20% income tax would be deducted from your pay between £11,851 and £46,350. 40% income tax would only be deducted from your pay between £46,351 and £48,000. Total annual income tax deduction: £7,652 The initial £8,424 would be free of tax. 12% national insurance would be deducted from your pay between £8,425 and £46,356. Total annual national insurance deduction: £4,583 £7,652 + £4,583 = £12,235 £12,235 = 25.4% of £48,000 Therefore, the total annual tax deduction on annual earning of £48,000 will be £12,235. This equal to 25.4% of the total earning.
B. National insurance.A. Income Tax on Annual Earning of £30,000
Earning
Deduction %
Deduction £
Up to £11,850
0%
£0
£11,851 to £30,000
20%
£3,629
B. National Insurance on Annual Earning of £30,000
Earning
Deduction %
Deduction £
Up to £8,424
0%
£0
£8,425 to £30,000
12%
£2,589
Total Taxation on Annual Earning of £30,000
B. National insurance.A. Income Tax on Annual Earning of £48,000
Earning
Deduction %
Deduction £
Up to £11,850
0%
£0
£11,851 to £46,350
20%
£6,953
£46,351 to £48,000
40%
£659
B. National Insurance on Annual Earning of £48,000
Earning
Deduction %
Deduction £
Up to £8,424
0%
£0
£8,425 to £46,356
12%
£4,551
£46,357 to £48,000
2%
£32
Total Taxation on Annual Earning of £48,000
Whats the salary of ST3 registar Internal medicine in Uk?
At least 36,312 GBP.
https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/pay/juniors-pay-england
great work bro
Thank you! Your appreciation matters a lot! 🙂
Thanks for the info!!
Your posts r fast becoming an inspiration.
Thank you so much for visiting the blog and for your kind words! 🙂
can you please guide, will a junior doctors salary be enough for covering living costs with a one year old baby? (accommodation, groceries, baby sitting charges etc?)
btw, thank you for all these guide lines, you really are an encouraging person!
I am honestly not sure about this. I guess it depends on how many others are dependent on you and if anyone else is helping you financially. It depends on the town you choose to live in. It depends on your lifestyle. If you want, you should be able to make it work.
And you’re welcome! 🙂
Kindly guide about visa requirements n procedure from Pakistan for Plab 2
Kindly scroll down and check the Guidance for Visa section of my blog. 🙂
How did u calculate the annual tax 40% deduction of £45,000 which equals to £5400?
Won’t it be £22500? ( 45000×40%)
Pls explain this!
Thz
Because the first £11,000 are tax-free. I hope that makes sense.
Thanks a lot for the info
You’re welcome! 🙂
Thanks for your guidance. Your blog has being immensely useful. Please are incomes from calls taxed? My home country only tax basic salary. Is that the same with UK?
Thank you for your kind words! And thank you for visiting the blog! 🙂
Income from on-call duties are taxed.
Hello Dr Naseer, thankyou for this well written and inspiring blog. I wanted to ask, what is the average living cost in the UK, like rent and groceries?
It varies a lot depending on your lifestyle. But like I mentioned, the pay is more than enough. You can save money as well.
Hi Naseer,
Kindly provide clarification on this
how much is the basic salary per year after deductions for FY 1 and FY 2 doctors. Saw somewhere to be 26,614 and 30,805 respectively .
Thanks
This link might help:
https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/pay/juniors-pay-england
Are GPs or Family medicine Drs getting paid enough , and how the scale for sallery increase for GPs?
Thanks in advance
This might help with the pay scale for GPs:
https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/pay/general-practitioners-pay
How “Total annual earning” is calculated?? is it basic salary plus banding or basic salary alone.
It is basic salary plus banding. It is the total amount of money that you earn.
Is there any scope of private practice in UK like indian subcontinent?
There is a private setup by the name of NES Healthcare UK. However, they do not have training programs. So if you work for NES, there is no career progression; your experience is less valued. You get better pay. Working hours are interesting. One week at work, one week off.
So it’s very different from private practice in India.
Thank you sir.After completing MRCP how much a doctor can earn as a beginner???
My second question is, how can I become a radiologist in uk???
That depends on which post you take after passing MRCP. This link might help with that: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/pay/juniors-pay-england
I am not aware of this. It would be best to post this on Facebook and take input from others who are more knowledgable. I am sorry for not being more helpful with this. 🙁
Thank you. Could you explain briefly the payment scale of over time?
Overtime pay is known as banding. Most jobs are 1B banding jobs. Slightly hectic jobs are 1A banding jobs.
Jobs without nights (which are rare) are without banding.
This might help:
http://www.idwl.info/workinghours.html
Khan your blog is GREAT,everything is well organised and each explanation has a proof link,its really wonderful and very useful.I am highly grateful you created this blog,thanks.
Thank you so very much for your kind words! Your feedback matters a lot. And thank you for visiting the blog! 😊
Aoa, Thank you for all the information. Can you pls tell me that if a person has done FCPS in surgery and has also cleared MRCS exams, now plans to do FRCS. How much will he earn? Will he get a junior doctor salary or senior doctor salary? What would be his take away home money?
If they are a consultant in the UK, they will get a consultant’s salary.
Thank you for replying. Can you please tell me what’s the pay scale of SHO in uk?
The pay scale discussed in this post is for SHOs.
Dr Naseer – thank you so much for putting together this blog! I’m a new graduate and I was comparing the US vs the UK to see which would be a better option for training without straining my parents’ finances (more so than med school already did lol). Your blog has been an immense help in getting me to decide on the UK – thank you very much!
I’m very happy that my blog helped. Thank you for visiting and thank you for your kind words! 🙂
Can you please explain about the Ilets score.. Do we need to give Ilets before plab 1 or after plab 2 or any time and how much score do i nwwd to get visa for RMO from Nepal.. Thank you!!
This might help:
https://naseersjourney.com/2017/02/11/about-ielts/
Thank you for your post. I am having some problem regarding with my basic salary offer. I have 3 years experience post graduation (outside of UK) and in my job offer pay scale is from 27000 to 37000. I have been contacting my HR regarding my salary and havnt gotten reply yet. My question is with my experience, how much should I negotiate with HR? From my knowledge, I think I should get the level of ST1 equivalent. Please help me if you have any experience or info. Many Thanks
The pay you have been offered is more or less the same as all junior doctors. I don’t think you should worry.
You can ask your HR. And you can post on Facebook to get other people’s opinions.
But I wouldn’t worry much. Good luck! 🙂
My concerns about this salary , is that apparently junior doctors salaries tally with some of the lower salaries in the UK as a Google search suggested teachers probably earn about that..This post suggests its probably a very basic salary to just get by on.How much does typical accomodation like a 2 bedroom apartment for a wife and a kid cost..Will one be able to afford a good car?
Typical accommodation costs around 400 GBP to 600 GBP per month. In London, it is more expensive. My rent here at hospital accommodation in Portsmouth is only 300 GBP per month. Getting a good car should not be an issue. Most of my friends have been able to afford a car easily. Please go through the FAQs of this post.
What about schooling? How much does it cost to send a kid to a daycare or kid school typically .I am planning to make this move as I prepare to write plab this November so I kinda want to know if it’s really worth it as it just makes it seem like I m just trying to change my location to only just get by..Thanks
Education is free in the UK. It is a welfare state. 🙂
Dr Nasser Khan! Thank you for being an inspiration to IMGs. Whenever I read from your blog, I feel confident that things will be ok in my PLAB journey. God bless you.
The UK journey is very easy. And I wanted to communicate this to everyone. I’m glad you found it helpful. All the best! 🙂
Thanks for your time , I ll continue to be hopeful that I can make it and fulfill this dream and that it will meet expectation and be worth it.
All the best! 🙂
hi dr.naseer.finally i found some blog which gave lots of info with clear information and knowlegde about uk plab and mrcp..its is very useful. .. am 2nd year general surgery resident from india.. i would like to do cardiothoracic surgery residency in uk.. can u please share some info regarding CTVS residency in UK. or can u share some blog regarding info. thanks in advance
It is difficult to get into any surgical specialty in the UK.
Please read Dr. Omar Alam’s post regarding surgical options in the UK. Check the “Useful Links” section of my blog.
Naseer bhai you’re blog is fantastic. Really appreciate the effort you put in this work. Guidance makes the work hundred times more easier.
I wanted to ask, Is it beneficial to clear PLAB before house job and do foundation year instead of house job? I plan to return to Pakistan after completing my training. Also what pay does a fresh graduate doing foundation year 1 earns?
1. It is not likely to find FY1 training in the UK.
2. Around £1,900 per month.
Hello Naseer, in my home country when you get your first job as junior or even senior doctor, it takes about 3months for your salary to be paid (all though you will be paid in bulk for the 3 months) before you start receiving it monthly, is this the case in the uk, or you get paid on the first month?
The latter.
How much can a consultant earn in UK and will he get any benefits like free accommodation etc.
I think the junior doctor’s pay is kind of very poor as per UK standards, I expected more value for a doctor in the developed world.It’s better than our home countries but still not well ranked amongst professionals.
That is not true at all. Junior doctors earn more than enough to live a very comfortable life in the UK.
Salaam valaikum sir,please tell me that can I do job as a doctor in London after clearing my PLAB 1 exam only and also please tell what is trained and untrained doctors and how can I become I trained doctor in London ..Thanks in advance sir….
You can not work in the UK only on the basis of PLAB 1. This might help: https://naseersjourney.com/2017/04/29/entry-routes-for-medical-practice-in-the-uk/
Trained doctors are those who have gone through training programmes. You can apply for training in London. 🙂
Hello Dr Naseer. You have written this article in 2018. Can you please tell us the current pay scales for fy2 docs now (2020)?